Is This New Petrol Companies Tactic to Catch Motorists on Price Rise on The PUMP

eatwell365 on 04/05/2017 - 07:22
Last edited 04/05/2017 - 10:28 by 1 other user

Not sure if this is exclusive to Sydney and location specific.

Since the last 2 cycles, petrol stations from the whole area seem to rise price very suddenly AND at the same time. Eg. 121.9 at evening rush hour, 137.9 E10 before 9.00.

This is as opposed to the usual warning signs:
1. Petrol tankers come in, price then rises
2. Various companies may be one or 2 cents difference. Now all stations rise at exactly the same price.
3. The cycle was Thursday (in my area), now shifted to Wed
4. Petrol stations on one of the main road may go up first then the others follow and fix theirs.

Also, the price stays up longer, and the low price stays only one or 2 days which is much shorter than before.

Luckily years of OZB trained me with sharp eyes and sensitive radar. Found one that had raised the E10 to 137.9 while Premium 95 still at 135.9 and Unleaded at 122.9.

Does anyone know if, why and how this starts to happen?

• 

  retiredfeline on 04/05/2017 - 07:47

  +1

  The cycle was Thursday (in my area), now shifted to Wed

  The cycle is not weekly, it's more like 20+ days, sometimes modified by the onset of holidays. Check the graph here:

  https://www.fuelcheck.nsw.gov.au/app

  Also from the graph rises tend to be sudden and drops gradual.

  Found one that had raised the E10 to 137.9 while Premium95 still at 135.9 and Unleaded at 122.9.

  This is very unusual as unleaded is usually more than E10. Are you remembering correctly? Same servo? Maybe they had only one pump with unleaded and it had run out?

  I've been told about one indie servo at Haberfield on the side heading into the city that drops the price at night. So buyers heading home think I'll fill up tomorrow morning and then the next morning they find the price has gone up, but since it's on the cheaper side anyway, they go ahead and buy.

  • 

    [Deactivated] on 04/05/2017 - 09:57

    I saw a similar thing near me, there's a metro servo on the approach corner of a side street and a coles after the side street. The metro had something like 129.9 on the coles side but 109.9 on the side drivers approach from. Coles had the price at 132.9 so they could seem cheaper with the 4c off voucher.

    • 

      retiredfeline on 04/05/2017 - 10:00

      +3

      Maybe I'm misunderstanding what you wrote but isn't it illegal to advertise two different prices for the same product? And wouldn't the bowser have only one price?

      • 

        [Deactivated] on 04/05/2017 - 14:01

        No, you understood correctly. Don't know about legality but was a big middle digit to the coles servo.

      • 

        retiredfeline on 04/05/2017 - 14:20

        @Test Tickles: I think the moment the customer discovers that the bowser has a higher price than the road advertising, the servo is open to accusation of bait advertising.

      • 

        [Deactivated] on 04/05/2017 - 18:45

        @greenpossum:
        But the direction of approach has 109, don't know what the bowser said, can only guess it was 109. The 129 price was facing the coles on the opposite corner. People coming from the coles side would've already passed 3 cheaper servos so not an issue really.

      • 

        retiredfeline on 04/05/2017 - 18:56

        @Test Tickles: I think the law says that if different prices are posted for a product the customer can pay the cheapest price. So really I don't know why they would post an erroneous higher price when this could lose them customers on the other side. But it could be explained by just laziness on their part.

      • 

        [Deactivated] on 04/05/2017 - 18:58

        @greenpossum:
        True about the laziness, it was maybe 9:30 on a Tuesday or something like that

  • 

    eatwell365 on 04/05/2017 - 19:08

    very unusual as unleaded is usually more than E10.

    probably the cashier has not got time to put all price up, just put the E10 up first otherwise in trouble. all gone up by this morning.

• 

  EightImmortals on 04/05/2017 - 07:54

  +4

  Who the hell would pay $1.37 for E10?

• 

  [Deactivated] on 04/05/2017 - 07:58

  +2

  Just use the 7/11 price lock in their app.
  I have mine locked at 129.9 for 98
  It's not hard to save money.

  • 

    EightImmortals on 04/05/2017 - 08:23

    If only they sold Caltex or Shell fuel. :) My car seems to run better on those two for some reason.

    • 

      [Deactivated] on 04/05/2017 - 08:24

      +1

      theres a woolworths fuel app which shows the prices only

      • 

        EightImmortals on 04/05/2017 - 08:29

        Cool, thanks. :)

  • 

    MATTDAMON on 04/05/2017 - 10:17

    -2

    Depending on your location it will be BP or Caltex as well, because Mobil does not have a terminal presence in some areas/states.

• 

  abear on 04/05/2017 - 08:54

  Use the NRMA fuel app for up to date prices

• 

  woodwa on 04/05/2017 - 10:35

  Petrol Spy is my go to app and web-page. saved me buckets travelling around Australia and having a a car that chants Skul SkuL Skol as I drive(petrol Prado 180L tank)
  http://petrolspy.com.au/

• 

  RockyRaccoon on 04/05/2017 - 12:12

  Petrol tankers come in, price then rises

  never heard of that one!!

  Tanker comes dumps fuel into tanks, so now fuel in underground tank gets stired up - aerated and sediment - so according to tanker drivers, this isnt the time to buy

  • 

    eatwell365 on 04/05/2017 - 19:37

    it was by observation and made sense.
    Station tries to empty the storage as low as possible by selling lower price before topping up.

    Think you are right about aerated but read about all the new pumps now have filter - sometimes you can see label on the browser.

    Feel free to correct me if I am wrong. Learning process.

• 

  [Deactivated] on 05/05/2017 - 09:59

  This is what they've been doing in Brissy for years now
  Welcome to the jungle

• 

  kiitos on 05/05/2017 - 22:16

  +1

  I use the Woolworths fuel app and usually end up driving to Marsfield (Sydney).

  One thing I've noticed is that Chatswood is often listed with one of the cheaper prices in the area in the app, but when I get there their price on the board is much higher. Very dodgy.